Page 26 of The Expiration Date

My introduction is interrupted by her lips landing on mine. What the fuck? Unfortunately, this has not been the first time a random girl has kissed me without warning. It’s happened multiple times while getting bombarded by crazy fanatics at press events, or even on the street for that matter. I’ve learned the art of gently, gracefully pulling away.

“Um, Anna? What are you doing?” Haley frantically makes her way over to my side.

“Yeah, Anna. What the hell?!” Dan exclaims. “You realize that I am right here, right?”

Anna’s eyes finally pop open. Her face turns beet red and her hand clasps over her mouth. A muffled “Oh my God” comes out through her fingers. She finally removes her hand and looks over at Haley, who appears horrified and confused and might I say, a little pissed.

“Hales, I am so sorry. I saw him walking toward us and totally thought I was dreaming and took a chance.” She shrugs and we all start laughing. “I am completely mortified. I am so sorry. Hi. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Anna Morgan. I’m Haley’s best friend.” She formally shakes my hand, which was my original game plan anyway, and then turns to Haley and says, “You know this is Aidan Stone, right?”

Haley puts her hand to her face and lets out a laugh. “Yes, Anna. I am well aware of that fact. He’s my date and…” Her eyes lock with mine and I nod slightly. “...and my boyfriend.”

Anna’s jaw drops to the floor. She mouths, “No way.” She steps aside with Haley and I hear in faint whispers:“What? How long have you been dating? How could you not tell me? This is huge news! You are dating Aidan fucking Stone, Haley! It is a big deal!” and I am finally able to shake Dan’s hand.

“Woah, bro, it’s an honor to meet you. I love all your movies, man. You are really talented. Holy shit, everyone is going to flip out that you're here. Sorry about my fiancée. She doesn’t know the definition of boundaries.”

I laugh. “It’s all right, man. Congratulations. Thank you for having me here. Haley has told me wonderful things about you both. I promise I will keep a low profile here. This weekend is about you and Anna, and I don’t intend on casting a shadow over the most important weekend of your life.” I pull Haley in for a side hug. “Haley and I made a stealthy getaway out of Manhattan, so I guarantee there won’t be any paparazzi around. Pretend I’m not even here.”

“Yeah, like that’s possible, Aidan Stone!” Anna exclaims. “I want to hear all about how you two met, but let’s go ahead and get inside. I’ll show you all to your room.” She turns toward Haley and raises her eyebrows mischievously. Haley blushes slightly and shakes her head, reaching down to grab her luggage.

“Don’t even think about it, Swann,” I mutter low so only she can hear, hoisting her bags along with mine.

She smiles. “Thanks.”

“And this is y’all’s room.” Anna opens the door to one of the guest bedrooms. Correction. This is definitely the master bedroom. The large sliding glass door overlooks the ocean, with a private balcony just for us. The sheer curtains are blowing inward from the small breeze and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore fills the room. I roll the luggage into the small closet and hang up my clothing bags. There is a small sitting area off to the side next to the sliding door, and a large canopy bed in the middle of the room. Shit, there’s no couch. I guess I’ll be sleeping on the floor. I want to respect Haley’s space.

“Why don’t you two settle in and relax before tonight’s dinner. Hales, I’ll let you know when your mom gets here, okay?”

“Okay, thanks Anna,” Haley says, plopping her bag down on the massive bed.

Anna gives me a little wink as she shuts the door.

“Oh my god, Aidan, I am so sorry about what happened outside! I cannot believe that she kissed you!”

I laugh. “It’s okay Hales, really. Surprisingly enough, that is not the first time that’s happened to me.”

“Are you serious? So random women just come up and make out with you without your consent?”

It’s cute she thinks that what happened earlier could be considered “making out.” She doesn’t know what making out looks like for me. I guess she never will; although the kiss we shared at the afterparty was a pretty good start. God, that kiss has kept me wanting more for days now. I want to show her what a real make-out session looks like. I’m sure I could shift her perspective of what that term means.

I shrug. “Yeah, it happens occasionally. It’s always really jarring and I’ve never gotten used to all the hysteria. I mean, at the end of the day, I am just a person. I think people misconstrue who I really am with who I portray on screen. A lot of women love the idea of me rather than the reality. All they see is the guy on the movie posters and magazine covers. They just want fifteen minutes of fame. They just want one night–or if they do want a relationship, it’s for the wrong reasons.” I sit next to her on the bed, making her sink a little closer to me. “I want a woman who really loves me for me, and not because I make blockbuster movies or have more money than I ever thought possible.”

“And not because you are the sexiest man alive,” Haley adds. “I mean, according to People magazine. Not that I don’t think you deserve the title. I mean, look at you. Not that I am checking you out or anything or have any merit to make that assessment. Oh my gosh, this is coming out wrong.”

She is starting to spiral, so I save her from herself. “It’s okay Hales, I know exactly what you mean.” I look around the room. “So, I guess whenever we turn in for the night, I’ll grab a couple of pillows and blankets for a nice little makeshift bed on the floor.”

“Aidan, don’t be ridiculous.”

My heart thrums–I wasn’t expecting that to come out of her mouth.

Haley must notice the surprise on my face, because she explains, “What if Anna decides to pop in unannounced? We can’t have you sleeping on the floor. Then she will definitely be suspicious.” Then she looks down at the king-sized bed we are sitting on, maybe regretting what she just said. “Um, maybe we could put pillows in between us.”

“Whatever makes you feel comfortable.” I can’t imagine telling her that we actually slept next to each other last night. She would be mortified. Even though that was the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten in a long time. If only she knew how much I want to scoop her up and wrap my arms around her right now in this bed. I can’t let myself wander into those thoughts, though. She’s made it perfectly clear how she feels about me in that regard. Damn contract.

“Knock, knock.” I turn and see a woman who looks exactly like Haley. It’s like I’m looking twenty-five years into the future. Haley’s a dead ringer for her mom; the only difference is the eyes. Her mom has hazel eyes. I preferred Haley’s dark caramel colored eyes.

“Mom!” Haley runs over to her doppelganger of a mother and nearly knocks her over. The smile illuminating Haley’s face is unmatched. Forget the smile that I witnessed earlier. This is the smile I want to see on her face all the time.

“Oh Haley girl! I am so excited that you are here and you made it safely. Honey, you seem thin, are you sure you’re eating enough out in L.A.?”

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